Best Valentines Day Ever.

[frogcycle]

Wild Turkeys

We have been enjoying a flock of 14 wild turkeys who chose the oak/hickory woodland behind our house for their winter roosting spot this year. They spend quite a bit of time in our yard, as well as neighbors.

My wife and I went back in the woods this evening to watch them fly up into the trees for the night. They have a regular pattern keyed to sunrise/sunset. They were scratching around our bird feeders near the house; ambled on up to the woods right on schedule. We waited until they stopped meandering and looked to be getting ready to launch, and went up there, using my tool shed and some brush as a sort of 'blind'. We stood there, bundled up against the cold watching their evening ritual. It was the coolest experience watching them, some 40 feet away, milling around, sorting out who would go first, then one emissary goes up and the others wait a bit, seemingly to make sure the coast is clear. Then after 4-5 minutes the rest go, one at a time, 30-40 seconds apart, getting a bit of a running start and launching, flying up through the branches to roost. So quiet, peaceful. We could hear the wings flapping as each launched.

Best Valentines Day Ever.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

1. First time I saw wild turkeys

I was amazed at how beautiful they were. Ben Franklin wanted them to be our national bird, didn't he?

I thought my day was going to suck. The highlight was a trip to the store for groceries. I came home with a good assortment of herbs, as I've run low on some, and for a VD treat for the girls, I included a huge bag of catnip. Got home, loaded my bags on the counter, and promptly got sidetracked. I did find it a little odd that they let me sit at the computer without interfering. . . until I finally went back to the kitchen and found they'd liberated their ounce of weed from the bottom of the shopping bag and were in the process of rolling in it all over the floor. Catnip as far as the eye can see.

They were so blissed out I could only laugh. I don't know whether to try to sweep up the lion's share or just let them go apeshit all night.

[frogcycle]

4. Yes he did.

They are incredibly social - have meetings to decide what to do next, do various "dances" that must have some meaning. At first I thought they were all hens - but it was just that they are first-year males - "jakes" - and are now filling out, developing beard, snood, wattle. It should be quite a show in the spring when they all start practicing strutting with tail fanned out.

Sounds like the cats had THEIR best valentines Day Ever!

[Beaverhausen]

2. way cool- have you taken any pictures of them?

[frogcycle]

3. yep

Turkeys